Tuesday, July 27, 2010

"The spirit, soul, and energy of the Speakeasy are vibrant in New York City’s The Bowery Riots. With a “for the people” passion and strong political interest, the sextet plays an incredibly eclectic mix of punk, soul, and rock and roll. Heavily routed in the turn of the 2oth century and the hustle of the big city, The Bowery Riots are a unique amalgamation of sound and style. Their songs are filled with garage rock influence, mixing in three part female/male harmonies, horns, and harmonicas for a riotous good time." - EXPLODING IN SOUND

Here's an illustration of The Bowery Riots, a band that my friend TJ is in. I promised him an illustration a while back and figured it was time to deliver. TJ's a cool guy, not to mention a kick-ass shortstop and a devastating lefty bat, played minor league ball somewhere. We met back in the day playing softball for the Welcome to the Johnson's (JOHNSONS!) Softball Team, a place I used to tend bar at, in The East Village Softball Association. 2004 was a magical year, we won it all, underdog style. View the trophy on top the The Johnson's refrigerator and get a Pabst. 123 Rivington Street, LES, NYC.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

The event was put together and hosted by Charles Hively. Amongst many other things, Charles is the publisher and design director of 3x3 Magazine and Creative Quarterly. He really cares about illustration and artists and for that, he gets a big thumbs up and my respect. Thank you Charles!

The guest speakers were all fantastic artists. They all gave incredible presentations about their personal journey into the illustration field that were very insightful into the business and about their work.

Nuts & Bolts - Class of 2010! I met a lot of very cool people over the course of the conference that I hope to keep in touch with, but many more I didn't meet that I hope to connect with online. Give a shout out if you stumble upon this!

Me, Charles and my wife Daria at the event's conclusion at Cocktail Hour.

This event was a real kick in the ass, eye-opening in so many ways. Provided me with much hope and inspiration. Thank you all - Onward and upward!

Saturday, July 3, 2010

I met Johnny Bennett in L.A. in 2001, back when I was rabble-rousing as lead singer of the infamous Spicy Rizzaks. Hazy & strange days for sure, but even then I could tell he was one cool and talented dude. During your time on the musical circuit, you meet a lot of people, some brilliant, some not so much. The thing is, with Bennett, he's the real deal, got chops. And every time he releases a new album, he proves me right.

His most recent is Gone Missing, a follow up to The Violet Hush. Gone Missing is darker, deeper than anything he's done before. With a bit of luck, it'll be his breakthrough album, and just remember you heard about him here first. The story of how it got made - replete with madness and redemption in the English countryside - is almost as good as the album. Bennett's got a serious ear for melody, a skilled voice and killer lyrics. Bottom line, it's fucking good, harkening back to when musicians actually wrote songs and played instruments. When 12 year girls didn't rule the marketplace, when albums, not singles by reality tv show contestants, got the headlines. God bless Johnny Bennett. Rock on brother!

For more about Mr. Bennett, his music and up-coming tour dates, check out his website at www.johnny-bennett.com

Whelp, we didn't make it to Round 2 of the Sydney Opera House Graphic Animation Competition - D'oh! Damn Aussie politics for sure, BUT, to be honest, I think our submission was lacking in "plot development" or whatever (dancing isn't "plot development? haha) and it could have a couple more edits and cuts to other action. That said, it had a top rating and was top 20 in voting but judges chose 10 from that, and we got cut. Bummed! However, all in all, I think it was a rousing success, and quite a fun little piece. It was my first foray into the realm of animation and I am hooked! Looking forward to future collaboration with my bro-in-law Adam Kelley, a very talented animator. We have really some cool things in the docket, so stay tuned!

The guidelines of the contest were that it had to be 20 second long, involve the theme of 'recovery", incorporate a yawn, and something in it had to be 7 years old.Without further ado, here's the animation -